


Sweet Nothings

by SloanGreyMercyDeath



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: College AU, F/F, but it barely matters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 02:45:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17417543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SloanGreyMercyDeath/pseuds/SloanGreyMercyDeath
Summary: For the person who asked for no sex, just kissing. Just the two of them enjoying each other's company.3/52





	Sweet Nothings

“Are you done yet?” Root asked for the fifteenth time, her voice breaking Shaw’s concentration. “Sameen? Are you done yet?”

Shaw sighed loudly. She stopped working and pushed away from her desk, the chair swiveling her around to face Root. “No, and the more you ask, the longer it will take me to finish.”

Root pouted, soft lips catching Shaw’s attention, but looked back down at her books. “Fine.”

“Don’t you have to study for your history exam anyway?” Shaw squinted at her. “Don’t let me distract you.”

“I’m not letting you do anything,” Root mumbled under her breath. She turned a page. “You’re just distracting.”

Shaw smirked and turned back to her computer, leaning forward to look at the code on her screen. She was trying to finish her final project for class, the computer class that Root had forced her to take. She’d actually woken up early to do the project, but then Root had shown up at her dorm room with lunch and Shaw’s progress had slowed significantly. Outside her window, the sun was starting to set and she still had work left to do.

It was probably her fault for starting the day before it was due, but Root took up so much of her time and refused to help her with the programming. She wanted Shaw to learn for herself. Shaw couldn’t complain about the time part of it; No one could kiss like Root and Shaw was willing to take random classes if it got her more kisses.

She worked in silence for a moment, her keys loud in the quiet room. If she concentrated, she could actually understand the code. It wasn’t like one of Root’s projects that took days and days. Whenever Root tried to explain what she was doing, Shaw’s head started to hurt. She listened, though, because Root listened to her when she rambled on about her medical research.

Thinking about how different their fields were, Shaw knew it was a miracle that they’d even met. They had met at a frat party, the only one either of them had every been to. Shaw had been invited by a boy in her Biology class freshman year and she’d gone because she thought he was hot. Then, she’d bumped into Root, literally, and her whole college experience was set.

Root could be hard to handle sometimes, but Shaw had learned. She knew that if Root hadn’t texted her by six pm then she was hyperfocused on a project and Shaw should go make her take a break. She knew that if she ever wanted food at midnight or two am or four am, Root would be down. She might have to climb a rooftop and watch the sunrise afterwards, but she was actually growing to like that.

Shaking her head, Shaw tried to focus on her project. She was almost done. A loud sigh behind her almost distracted her, but she kept working. A moment later, another sigh floated from the bed and Shaw rolled her eyes. Behind her, she heard the rustle of blankets and realized how chilly it was in the dorm room.

Root insisted on keeping the windows open ‘for atmosphere,’ but that just meant that Shaw’s toes were always cold. She pulled her legs up onto her chair, crossing them to get comfortable. Hopefully, they would defrost quickly.

“Hey, Shaw?”

Shaw sighed, saving her project. “Yes, Root?”

She turned her desk chair around and laughed. Root was laying on her back, holding her textbook above her face. Her head hung off the bed, brown hair swinging. She stared at Shaw with her large eyes.

“Will you help me study?”

“I thought you were smart. That’s why I’m dating you. If you aren’t…”

Root rolled over, glaring at Shaw. Her t-shirt was tucked underneath her from the roll and Shaw’s attention narrowed to her collarbones. She wanted to kiss them, but she knew she had to focus. She had almost pulled herself together when Root tossed her hair over her shoulder, baring her neck.

“I’m a genius,” Root said, making Shaw look at her face again. “Except for History. And literature. I’m a science-math-girls genius.”

Shaw rolled her eyes. “A ‘girls’ genius?”

“Yes.” Root winked. “I know everything about them.”

“Ridiculous.”

Root pouted, dropping her textbook onto the bed. It flipped shut with a surprisingly loud thump. “Please help me. You know about history. You already took the class.” She brightened. “I’ll repay you with kisses!”

That was tempting. Shaw glanced at her computer. There really wasn’t too much left to do and she could always convince Root to finish it for her later. Quid Pro Quo. She would get kisses now as an advance and then help with her project later. Shaw sighed and dropped her feet to the floor.

“Alright.” Standing, she crossed the small room to the bed. “Move over.”

Root scooted backwards eagerly, giving Shaw space to drop onto the narrow bed. Shaw’s butt had barely hit the bed before Root’s grabbed her. She grunted as Root’s arms circled her waist and pulled her down.

“Root!” Shaw grunted, trying to wiggle away. “You need to study!”

“Kisses first!”

Shaw turned in Root’s arms, adjusting herself so she could wrap her arms around Root’s shoulders. “You’re not going to study at all, are you?”

Root didn’t answer. She pressed her nose into Shaw’s neck, pushing herself into Shaw and sighing happily. Despite hating sentimentality, Shaw had to admit that it felt nice to lay in bed, wrapped in Root’s arms. She stuck her cold toes against Root’s bare leg and laughed as she yelped.

“Sameen!” Root nibbled at Shaw’s neck. “Don’t be mean.”

“Can’t help it. It’s in my name.”

Root laughed as Shaw tangled her hands in chestnut brown hair, tugging slightly. “If I called you Sweetie, would that make you sweet?”

“No,” Shaw said, nipping softly at Root’s nose, “that would make me mad.”

Root snuggled closer, pressing kisses to Shaw’s collarbone. Closing her eyes, Shaw relaxed onto the bed. Even with all the time they were spending together, they hardly ever sat still. Root was always so active, practically buzzing with energy, and Shaw was barely calmer. They worked out, studied, hung out with their friends, had sex. It was strange to just lay still.

Sliding her legs through Root’s, Shaw stretched an arm to pick up Root’s textbook from where she’d dropped it. There was a study guide stuck between pages and Shaw pulled it free. She ran her eyes over the questions, recognizing most of them.

“Wow,” Shaw snorted, “he really doesn’t change anything, does he?”

She could feel Root shake her head, her hair tickling Shaw’s chin. “Nope.”

Shaw cleared her throat, her body warming as Root managed to wiggle closer. “What is the Balfour Declaration?”

“I don’t know,” Root whined. “Let’s kiss!”

She jerked her head up to glare at Root. “I can’t just reward you for nothing. Give me an answer and I’ll give you a kiss.”

Root sighed, her eyes darting up to meet Shaw’s before looking away. She pulled away slightly, sighing again, this time incredibly overdramatic. “Alright. I guess you can go do your homework if you want to. I’ll just study by myself.”

“Oh my god,” Shaw mumbled, moving a hand to Root’s chin and turning her head so they could make eye contact. “If I kiss you, will you stop pouting?”

Root shrugged, sighing for a third time. “I don’t know.” She widened her eyes, trying to look as pathetic as possible. “You could try, though.”

Shaw kissed Root softly. In the quiet cold of the dorm room, they clung to each other. Shaw dropped the study guide somewhere and loosely tangled her fingers into Root’s hair. Root’s arms wrapped around Shaw’s waist, holding her close. They kissed slowly, breathing through their noses and relishing the connection.

Shaw wasn’t the romantic type. She didn’t care about dates or love or anything that girls her age usually cared about. What she cared about was Root. She cared about the way that Root’s skin was always soft and the way her voice was scratchy first thing after waking up. She cared about Root’s soft, breathy sighs as they kissed and the way their lips fit together perfectly.

There were a couple of other things she cared about, too. Reese, of course. She cared about going to Medical school and becoming a surgeon. She cared about the Giants and the Yankees. She even cared about Fusco, Carter, and Zoe. Mostly, though, it was Root.

They kissed for what seemed like forever, Shaw not thinking about anything but being close to Root. Their legs brushed, Shaw traced her thumb along Root’s jaw, Root tugged absentmindedly on Shaw’s shirt. Around them, the sun set and the air got even colder, but their bodies, pressed together, kept them warm.

Eventually, Shaw blinked her eyes open, and realized how late it had gotten. She pulled her head away from Root, smiling as Root’s lips tried to follow. She pushed Root away, scooting backwards on the bed.

“Hold on,” Shaw laughed, “Stop.”

“No,” Root said, frowning. A furrow formed between her brows as she watched Shaw climb off of the bed and stand up. “Where are you going?”

“I have to check to the time,” Shaw answered. She picked up her phone and smiled at Root. “We can’t just kiss forever, you know. We’ll starve to death.”

Root rolled onto her stomach, resting her head on her arms, and looking at Shaw. “I’m fine with that. Let’s die in each other’s arms like old timey lovers.”

“No thanks,” Shaw scoffed. She checked the time on her phone. They hadn’t been kissing for that long, but they missed their chance to go to the dining hall. She sighed and turned to Root. “Well, we have to go off-campus for dinner.”

Root sat up, her shirt twisted and her stomach showing. It distracted Shaw, her eyes tracing the soft curves of Root’s hips, knowing that that was where the softest skin was. Then, Root adjusted her shirt and Shaw could look away.

“Denny’s?” Root asked. A yawn took her over and her mouth stretched up. She tried to talk through it, her words muffled and unintelligible.

“I can’t understand you,” Shaw snorted. “I’m fine with Denny’s, though. Whoever eats more waffles doesn’t have to pay.”

Root grinned as she wiped the tired tears from her eyes. “Deal. We both know I’m a bottomless pit.”

“We’ll see.” Shaw pointed a finger at Root’s stomach. “One day, you’re not going to be able to eat like that anymore. Your metabolism will slow, you’ll get all chubby from eating waffles and drinking sugary energy drinks.”

“And when that day comes,” Root said, shrugging, “I’ll join you in the gym.”

Shaw shook her head, but she wasn’t angry. She loved that Root loved food as much as she did. They didn’t go on dates, but sometimes Shaw would take Root to a nice restaurant and get something fancy and exotic to eat. Root wasn’t picky, so Shaw could take her anywhere.

Maybe it was the stress of finals, maybe it was the chilly afternoon they’d filled with kisses, maybe it was the way Root was smiling at her, hair messed up from rolling around on the bed and long legs bare and pale against the dark sheets, but Shaw felt a little sentimental. They had found each other so young and so easily. Circumstances had just brought them together and they’d clicked into place like puzzle pieces.

“I love you.”

Root’s eyes widened and Shaw realized that she’d spoken aloud. She winced as Root’s eyes filled with tears. Saying the words had ruined it and now their whole puzzle would fall apart. Shaw could feel their young, casual happiness sleeping away and it was all because she had opened herself up to a lazy Saturday afternoon.

She slid her phone into her pocket, ready to leave, but the sound of the bed creaking stopped her. Shaw looked up to see Root jumping off the bed into her, arms automatically coming up to catch Root around the waist as her legs wrapped around Shaw’s hips.

“You love me!” Root cried into Shaw’s ear before pressing sloppy kisses on her cheek. “You love me!”

She kissed Shaw’s mouth, the force making Shaw stumbled back into her desk. Root was happy, it seemed, and Shaw remembered that tears could be for joy. She kissed Root back, holding her close again, her fingers clutching Root’s shirt. After a moment, she pulled away.

“So…” Shaw said, staring up into Root’s watery eyes, “do you love me back?”

“You’re such an idiot,” Root laughed, wiping her eyes with the back of a hand. “Obviously.”

Shaw smiled. “Well, you’ll have to prove it.”

“What?” Root frowned. “I have to prove it.”

Shaw nodded, smirking. “If you truly love me, you’ll finish my coding assignment for me.”

Root dropped her legs to the ground, hugging Shaw around the shoulders. “I guess…I could do that, but you have to buy Denny’s then. Since you love me.”

Rolling her eyes, Shaw couldn’t help but smile a little bit. “Fine. But don’t push your luck. If you fail your history final, the love stops.”

“I’m too cute to fail,” Root said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “In fact, I’m so cute, that I deserve more kisses.”

She released Shaw, hopping back onto the bed and tilting her head up expectantly. Shaw followed her, crawling onto the bed and sitting on her knees in front of Root. Denny’s was open 24/7 and her project wasn’t due until tomorrow night. Besides, it wasn’t like kissing Root was a chore.

Shaw pressed a quick kiss to Root’s lips. “I only love you because you do my homework for me.”

“Uh-huh,” Root said, lips moving against Shaw’s, “and I only love you because you have a six-pack.”

Wrapping her arms around Root, Shaw kissed her fully, breathing in deeply through her nose and shivering slightly in the chill. They had all the time in the world to get to Denny’s and do their homework and be in love. They were still young and their whole future was ahead of them. If every Saturday for the rest of their lives was like this one, then Shaw would die happy.


End file.
